Lucky Shops NY

Last year tried out the Lucky Shops! Great place to get deep discounts on high end designers! Will return this year! Can’t wait to sample what new FREE drinks they have!

Free drinks and snacks and a lot of good steals and deals on clothes and accessories! I am just glad I got comp tickets and so I got to go twice for free. Would like to check back again next year!

I bought a $ 5 ticket to the ¹²⁄₈ Saturday sale thanks to a Lucky Breaks deal email sent on on ¹²⁄₅ or ¹²⁄₆. I ended up only getting to the sale an hour before it closed (my bad), and it was definitely worth it. I had time to peruse all the vendors quickly, but mostly zeroed in on purses. Foley + Corinna had a B1G1 special right at the end, so I paid $ 75 for two leather shoulder bags that retailed for $ 275 and $ 250. Their larger bags went for $ 165 (orig. $ 395), but were also B1G1. Stephanie Johnson basically had a fire sale at the end for $ 5 for any of the items left on the shelves, from a $ 22 snap mirror to a $ 50 iPad case to a $ 90 tote. I also picked up a blue Rachel Roy purse that was $ 89 for $ 35. The payments were all done by scanners hooked up to laptops, which took awhile. Purchases were handed out in reusable bags, so now I have a ton of those. I also spotted Rebecca Minkoff Mac purses for 50% off, but passed on them. The Clarisonic facials and Maybelline makeup applications might have been fun if I had more time. I didn’t have time for food or drinks, either, but I snagged a Vitamin Water. I’m looking forward to next year!

Lucky Shops NY used to be an upscale version of Shecky’s Girls Night Out. Like Shecky’s, you got a goodie bag and free drinks while vendors pitched sample sale clothing at you. The major difference was that Lucky Shops had a magazine behind it and used to get great designers to participate.
Now it’s gone downhill and the only difference is that the ticket price is over 2x the price of a Shecky’s ticket. And no goodie bag in sight.
I am a Lucky Shops NY victim. Here’s what happened to me.
Two years ago, a friend was unable to go to LUCKY SHOPS NY and sold me her VIP ticket for half off. This was in 2008, just before the recession hit. She told me it was a sample sale, so I had no idea why anyone should have to pay $ 150 to get in. My concerns melted when I got the coolest goodie bag. It had a Kenneth Cole umbrella, full size shampoo and a cool make up bag. I was so impressed that I decided to blow the $ 150 the next time Lucky Shops NY came to town.
Big mistake.
The nadir was 2011. Lucky Shops NY fell victim to the RECESSION. It completely stopped giving out deluxe goodie bags to all attendees. Instead, they started a «points» system that awarded you a «giveaway» depending on how much you spent (mind you, the $ 150 you paid to get in DOESN’T COUNT).
So on top of the 150, I had to spend at least 200 to get the lowliest «giveaway.» And guess what I got? It was a 99 cent lip balm and facial cleanser.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, there were no major designers at the event. Just blah designers I could have found at Century 21 or TJMaxx. Sorry, I prefer Coach and Tory Burch over Charlotte Ronson.
I thought Shecky’s was bad, but at least they deliver in terms of a traditional goodie bag (which you don’t have to pay over $ 20 for).
2012 looks just as bad. They rewrote the ad copy to say «major giveaways.» Hmm. It sounds like the «major giveaways» are only the ones given to winners of a «raffle.»
You have been warned.